Midnighting
by CaptainOceana
Summary: Can the Mugiwara really trust their new nakama? Zoro sure doesn't, but is it with good reason?
1. Chapter 1

Midnighting

Nighttime. Dark, cool and calm. Waves rocked the galleon as a mother would rock her baby to sleep. Creaks and groans of the ship sang its lullaby to the people aboard. Soft, white light of the moon, cast light and shadow on the _Ethereal_. It was a sight that would make any sailor weep, the ship truly lived up to its name. Beautifully crafted and large enough to house one hundred crewmen, it was eerily quiet. No living soul was on deck, save three people. Nova Erikson, the hulking first mate and Phinneas Edwards stood on either side of their captain. The sight was somewhat odd.

Nova looked he could be a giant with his broad, 10 foot 2 frame. Phinneas wasn't quite as tall, but by normal standards he was quite tall himself, standing 6 foot 9. Then, there was Captain Skye, a petite woman that stood 5 foot 1 and looked as if the wind could pick her up and carry her away. Some people questioned the order of their authority, but it would become clear later why things were the way they are. The trio stood on the bridge of the ship and talked softly as they scanned the horizon, searching for something.

"Captain, are you sure it will work?" Nova asked in a deep whisper. His small black eyes searched his captain's face for any hint of doubt or concern. None was to be found, her lips were curled into a confident smirk.

"Nova, I am more than sure it will work." she said softly, "They're too trusting for their own good." Phinneas chuckled darkly to himself.

"What a rookie trait." he said, "Wonder how long it'll take them to realize no one can be trusted?"

The ship fell silent once more. Captain Skye's face became serious and stoic. It was a sad, but true philosophy. She lived by this philosophy religiously too. Piracy was a tough trade she was born into. Many a lesson she had learned the hard way. Despite her looks, she was one tough cookie. The white-blonde hair, sea-green eyes and angelic face were enough to fool anyone though. Heaving a deep sigh and smiling, she descended down the stairs to the deck.

"Gentlemen, we have found what we were searching for. Now if you'll excuse me, I will retire for the night." she said giving her first and second mates a glance. Nodding their acknowledgments, Captain Skye smiled wearily and disappeared into her quarters. Stripping off her day-clothes, she slid into her silky aquamarine nightdress. Femininity usually wasn't something that people thought of when they saw Captain Skye, but when she was alone, she didn't mind showing it off a little. There was no real purpose behind it, it just made her feel better about herself as a woman. It wasn't that she didn't have a nice figure, it was just that being in a world of men, she had to show a little more masculinity to her peers.

Now that she was in comfortable sleep wear, she crawled under the covers of her bed and shut her eyes slowly. Mid-yawn, she flipped over onto her stomach and shoved her hand under the pillow. Fingering the dagger between the mattress and the pillow, she let out a sigh of relief. She didn't even trust her own men at night. Laughing quietly at the ridiculousness of the situation, she steadied her breathing and drifted off into a restless sleep.

_The setting was dark. No sign of hope or happiness existed on the unfamiliar ship. With an atmosphere so thick, she could scarcely breath. White satin draped over her body, billowed in the wind, giving her an angelic look. It was a strange out of body experience. Her body was right in front of her, looking extremely distressed, yet she was only a few feet away. It was like she was a ghost. Menacing laughter rang throughout the ship, making her shiver. Feelings of absolute dread and horror overwhelmed her. Turning towards the source of the laughter, she saw two figures._

_One was a dark figure of a tall, muscular man. Obscured by shadows, it was impossible to determine his face. The other was not quite as tall, but he was just as muscular. Blood began to pool around the feet of the smaller shadow. Dropping to his knees, the man's breathing was labored and forced. He was suffering great pain. Dark laughter came from the large shadowed man once more as he brandished his cutlass. Save him. Those were the first words to enter her head. Skye watched in horror as her other-self in the white dress threw herself between the two shadowy figures._

_Red blood began working it's way through the fabric of the dress, dying it incarnadine. Tears blurred her vision as she watched herself collapse to her knees. An anguished cry filled the air as the man dashed forward and took her in his arms. Fading fast, she tried to get a good look at the man's face before--_

BOOM! Cannon fire and gunshots echoed throughout the ship. Skye jolted awake and took a moment to figure out what was what. Her men were firing on someone. Throwing her covers off of her, she jumped out of bed and stormed towards the door. It was too early for this! The crew was definitely getting a piece of her mind today. Fiddling with the lock, Skye forced the door open and stormed out on deck. All hell had broken loose it seemed. Nearly all of the crew was fighting a small ragtag crew that Skye immediately knew to be Straw hat Luffy's crew. That same grinning face she'd seen on the wanted posters looked like he was rather enjoying himself as his outstretched leg swept several of her men off their feet. Knitting her brows together, fists clenched she inhaled sharply to let out a loud yell.

"What in the blue blazes is going on here!?" she shouted in a loud, forceful voice. Despite her short, petite build, she could really be loud. Swords and pistols clattered to the deck immediately. Each and every one of her crew members had turned to her and bowed slightly.

"Gomen nasai senchou-sama!" they shouted in unison. Snapping her head towards Phinneas and Nova she scowled. Nova gave a panicked look and pointed towards Phinneas in a discreet manner. So childlike.

"Phinneas, you'd better have a damn good excuse for waking me up." she growled. None would deny the fact she looked like an absolute madwoman right now. Wind whipped her hair around her face and it wasn't often you saw a pirate captain in a revealing, silk nightie. Phinneas stared openmouthed and stammered like an idiot.

"HEY!" Luffy shouted, "Ne, who are you?" Skye slowly turned her head towards the Mugiwara crew and raised a brow. Motley crew, that was the first thing that came to mind when she saw them. Being a little bit more personable, Skye gave a soft smile and placed a hand on her chest.

"I am Captain Ana Skye Edwards at your service." she said graciously, "Welcome aboard the _Ethereal_." Some of the small crew gave her skeptical looks. Luffy grinned and laughed boisterously. Ana could barely believe he was a supernova. He looked so boyish, carefree and a little aloof.

"Thanks Ana-nee san! I'm Luffy!" he said. Nee-san? So informal.

"Some welcome." Nami muttered.

"Hey!" Hani yelled defensively, "You guys started it!" Hani was the youngest member of the _Yoruyonaka _crew. Standing 5' 7" he was tall for 14. He was lanky, slim and acted nothing like his age. Shaggy black hair hung in his eyes, making his face look even paler than he really was.

"Mr. Gruger it doesn't matter who started--" Hani cut her off,

"But captain! He said--" Hani suddenly shut-up. Ana raised a brow and gave him a critical look. This look could get any one of her men to silence themselves quickly.

"Don't whine at me like that Hani." she said, "You're not a child and I'm not your mother." Hani let his head hang.

"Yes'm" he said softly.

"And Hani? Tuck in your shirt, you look like a little ragamuffin." Ana said with a bit of a grin. Hastily, Hani frantically shoved his shirt into his waistband as the others laughed. It was horrible the way she teased him like that, but the boy needed to man-up. Turning her attention to the Mugiwara crew once more, Ana descended the stairs to meet them.

"I'm frightfully sorry for whatever reason my men decided to fire on you. How can I make it up to you?"

"Panties!"

"FOOD!" was Luffy's cry that drowned out the skeleton's request. Blinking, Ana smiled.

"Alright, Mr. McIntyre! I want you and your kitchen staff to prepare a gourmet breakfast for the Mugiwaras. They're our guests today and we'll treat them with utmost respect,right?" Ana said, looking expectantly at her crew. Shouting in agreeance, the crew dispersed to do their daily business. Order was a must for Ana and her ship and her men carried out their duties well. Admiring her ship and orderly crew, she turned towards the Mugiwara again. Luffy was jumping up and down merely from the mention of food. _What an excitable character, _Ana mused to herself.

"Well, well, what luck. One of the most talked about pirate crews is now gracing my ship with their prescence." Ana said, laying it on really thick. Sanji leaped forward and took her hand in his. With big hearts in his eyes he swooned.

"But you grace the ship more than anything else Ana-chwan!" he said like the love struck fool he was. Pasting on a fake grin, she chuckled nervously and pulled her hand out of his grip. She should've known something like that was coming. Rubbing her hand as if some unwanted substance had just touched it, she looked over the crew and paused at the skeleton.

"Hmmn... I don't recall hearing anything about a skeleton, who might you be?"

The skeleton removed his top hat and bowed low like a true gentleman, "I am Dead Bones Brooke, the ship's musician. Would it be alright if I sneaked a peek at your panties?" Ana felt her spine freeze. _Did he just say what I thought he said?! _Nami punched him in the head, shaking her head disgustedly.

"Don't mind him Skye-san. That's just how he is." Robin said with a smile. Nodding a little warily, Ana tugged at the hem of her nightdress, just to make sure it was covering her enough.

"Well, feel free to explore a bit before breakfast. I'm off to go get into some decent clothes."

No one could've thought that nine extra people at the breakfast table could make such a difference, but breakfast was noisier, messier and food disappeared much quicker. Several of the Yoruyonaka men realized they'd have to guard their breakfast with their life very quickly. Luffy snatched food left and right from some of the more defenseless of the crew, amongst them was Hani. Soon the men all cleared out, leaving Ana with the Mugiwara crew. Her expression then became very dark. Noticing something was up, Chopper's ears twitched as he cocked his head to the side, giving Ana a confused look.

"What is it Ana-san?" he asked. Now that the dishes had been cleared out along with the crew, she propped her feet up on the table and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Letting a long sigh escape her lips, she looked down at her hands, crossed neatly on her lap. She was very hesitant to speak.

"I fear--" she paused, "My time is coming to an end." Her voice was low, dark and hushed as she spoke. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very tense. All eyes were on Ana now as she spoke.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked, giving her a scrutinizing glare. Ana gave a grim chuckle. She didnÕt expect them to believe her.

"I've been hearing rumors of an upcoming mutiny against me." Ana said, steepling her fingers, resting the heels of her hand on her chest. It looked as if she were already contemplating her death. "If that's true, then I'm in trouble. Especially if they are planning it for the day the Yoruyonaka fleet meets. All five of my ships will be there, as will my younger brother. They will most likely hold him hostage so I will be powerless against them." Ussop, Brooke and Chopper looked absolutely horrified. They seemed very easily shaken. The others werenÕt really that shocked at all. Zoro raised a brow and shrugged.

"Why don't you just maroon the man organizing the mutiny or something?" he asked lazily. Frowning at the swordsman, she shook her head and rolled her eyes. If only it really were that simple.

"Roronoa-san, not only do I; A: not know who is planning the mutiny, but; B: that would only make the situation much worse. Hypothetically, if I were to kill Luffy, what would you do?" she said in a very annoyed voice.

"I'd get even." he admitted. Jolting at the sound of the door creaking open, Ana whirled around to see Nova ducking through the doorway. Nova looked a little stunned as Chopper and Ussop screamed upon his arrival. Clearing his throat, he motioned for Ana to come on deck.

"Captain--" he said in a low rumble, "It's him. He's back." Groaning, Ana stood up quickly and nearly knocked over her chair. Marching to the deck railing, she glared at a ship only a few meters away. It wasn't as big or grand as the Ethereal, or the Thousand Sunny for that matter either. A stocky, older man, stood on the railing of his ship with his arms folded over his chest. Sticking up in every direction, his crazy, orange hair swayed in the wind, making him look a little strange. A red, orange and yellow striped scarf followed the direction of his hair. His appearance was a little flamboyant and foppish. He didn't look like he could be taken seriously at all. Frowning, he called out to Ana and she copied his stance on the railing of her ship.

"Well, well, Jack Rackham, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Ana asked, her voice dripping with venomous sarcasm. Veins bulging in Jack's temples, his face turned red and his scowl turned into a look of rage.

"You double-crossed me Skye!" he shouted angrily, shaking his fist over his head. Throughout just that one sentence, his voice cracked several times. Several of the Yoruyonaka pirates snickered at Captain Rackham's expense. Ana gave him a weird look and snorted.

"What ever are you babbling about dear Jack?" she asked in an almost mocking tone. No one really knew if she was mocking him though. The inflections in her tone of voice were very hard to read. In fact, she was just a hard woman to read in general. That bothered a certain green-haired swordsman. Zoro had his suspicions that she was not a person to be trusted, and after Rackham's accusation, he was pretty sure she couldn't be trusted at all.

"I'm talking about this treasure map you gave me!" he shouted, pulling out a rolled, up piece of paper, grasping it tightly in his fist, "There wasn't even an island there!" All of the Yoruyonaka pirates just about lost it. Hani fell out of the rigging as he was laughing so hard. Even Luffy was laughing and he didn't even have a clue as to why it was so funny.

"Jack Rackham will not be made a fool by anyone! Especially you Skye!" he screamed, jumping down from the railing and lighting a cannon aimed straight at Ana. Not a single one of her men even flinched as she disappeared in an explosion of smoke. On the other hand, the mugiwara crew was hysterical.

"Oh my gosh!" Chopper shrieked, "He blew her up! Someone call a doctor!" There were a couple chuckles from Nova and others as the smoke cleared.

"Honestly Jack," Said Ana's voice as the smoke disappeared, "you never learn do you? You'll have to try much harder to destroy me." Jaws hit the floor. After being hit by a cannonball, she didn't have a single scratch on her. Well, she was a little bit charred from the explosion and she was hiding her right fist in her sleeve. Motioning to Nova with her left hand, he handed her a cannonball. Holding it up like a baseball, she tossed it up and caught it a couple times, before hurling it at Rackham's ship at blinding speeds. Splintering, in all different directions, his ship was utterly destroyed. Cheers erupted from the Yoruyonaka as the opposing pirate crew, slowly surfaced and began flailing in the water, or heading towards the small island not too far off.

"Don't think this is over Skye!" came Rackham's muffled cry from below.

"AMAZING! Luffy shouted, jumping up in the air. Turning around, Ana gave a weak smile and jumped onto the deck, cradling her right fist. Chopper rushed forward when he saw it was covered in blood. She punched it?!, Zoro thought, admittedly a little impressed. Nova shook his head and examined Ana's hand along with Chopper. Surprisingly, her hand wasn't mangled like it should have been.

"Captain, you should be more careful." he chided in a fatherly tone. Grinning widely, Ana shrugged.

"I know, it was to close and too fast for me to protect my hand fully." she said.

"Don't worry about your hand though, Ana-san," Chopper added, glancing up at Nova's worried face, "The skin has been split and you've bruised your knuckles to the bone, but it'll be fine." Ana's face brightened in wonder.

"Smart and adorable!" she said, "You are just full of surprises." Chopper jumped back and danced happily.

"Don't compliment me asshole! It doesn't make me happy at all." he sang. Ana gave him a weird look momentarily then laughed.

"Ana-san, it seems you've eaten a devil's fruit." Robin speculated, as Nova pulled Ana to her feet. Hopping up, she nodded and smiled.

"Right you are Nico Robin." she said, "The Riki-Riki no Mi. It strengthens every aspect of the body and makes me the strongest person in the world. Well-- physically that is." Without warning, Ana swooped down and scooped Nova off of his feet in demonstration. The giant tottered a little bit as she balanced him on one hand. Luffy, Chopper, Brooke and Sanji all went nuts. (Sanji for different reasons obviously.)

"That is one SUUUUUUPER ability you've got there girlie." Franky said, striking a pose. Zoro rolled his eyes and snorted. He could do that too, no problem. _That's no big deal, I lifted an entire building during my fight with Mr. One in Alabasta_, He thought to himself. Nova wobbled a bit more and gave Ana a panicked look.

"Captain, would you _please_ put me down." he asked. Grinning, Ana set him down gently and patted his stomach.

"Thanks Nova, you're such a great sport." She said, "Anyways, that's really not the extent of my powers. I would do more, but I don't want to damage my ship." Franky's eyes grew wide suddenly, as if someone just smacked him in the face.

"My ship! Where is it?" he asked, grabbing Ana by the shoulders, lifting her off of the ground.

"It's fine Franky-san, we're pulling it along behind us." she explained, shrugging out of his grasp. Letting out a sigh of relief, he gave her a thumbs up. Now that she had the Mugiwara's attention, Ana felt quite pleased with herself. Clasping her hands behind her back, she rocked back and forth on her heels. There was just one more thing she needed to do this morning. Backing up towards her quarters, she curled her finger in her direction. At first she got some strange looks, but Luffy followed her, no problem. Once they were all inside, Ana locked the door and pressed her back firmly against it.

"I would like the ask you--" she paused, "Luffy I wouldn't--" it was too late. Everyone was off examining her things, poking and prodding curiously. Luffy had found her gold bullet case and as he picked up one of the bullets he collapsed.

"Woah, I feel really weird." he said hoarsely. Sighing, Ana pulled out her brown, leather gloves from her coat pocket and put them on. Taking the seemingly-ordinary bullet from his hand, she replaced it back in its case.

"Sorry, those are sea-stone bullets. My family makes them. I've got a couple sea-stone cutlasses over there. If you'd like to have a look." Ana said, "But first, I need to ask. Can you get me out of here tonight? Please take me with you." Pulling her silver, hoop earring nervously, she noticed the critical looks she got from Nami and Zoro. Neither of them seemed to trust her. Zoro couldn't help but feel he knew the name of Skye and Edwards from someplace else. Try as he might, he just couldn't remember where. Unfortunately for him, his captain wasn't suspicious of Ana at all.

"Alright Ana-nee san, but only if you join my crew." he beamed. Ana's eyes grew wide, and she looked so happy that she might cry. Running forward, she enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug, in a very literal sense. Jumping up and down she cried, "Anything! Anything! Thank you so much Luffy! We'll leave tonight during my watch hours."


	2. Chapter 2

Moonlight glittered on the ocean waves. Shadow and light danced off of every surface, continually chasing the other. That night, the silver moon hung large and round in the midnight sky. Silently, Ana and the Mugiwara pirates moved the last of Ana's possessions to the sunny. All day, they had been sneaking on a crate here and there, disguised as food or other such supplies. Although she was eager to be rid of her crew, Ana glided across the ship, taking in every last detail. Her father and his original crew had built the ship very well. On nights like this, when the moon was full and bright enough, the light colored wood seemed to glow.

Letting out a little forlorn sigh, she traced her hand over the hand-crafted molding on the rail. It was little details like that she loved so much. There was not a part on the ship that hadn't been crafted with love. She was going to miss it.

"Ana, what's wrong?" Nami whispered, tapping her on the shoulder. Turning around Ana looked a little surprised. Caught in her nostalgia, she didn't hear her coming. Of course, Nami was a master thief and was bound to have near-silent footsteps. Giving the orange-haired woman a sort of a sad smile, Ana shook her head slowly.

"Oh I'm just saying goodbye." she said, her eyes glistening full of memories in the silver light, "The Ethereal has been my home all my life. My father was the original captain of this ship and he chose to raise us here." Kissing the tips of her fingers, Ana then pressed them against the railing and trailed her hand along until she reached the gang plank. This was it.

Inhaling deeply, she took a step onto the plank connecting the Ethereal to the Sunny. Ocean waves churned beneath her, making her stomach churn in turn. Although she was confident someone would save her if she fell into the crushing, black waters, the thought of falling made her nervous. Nami was close behind her, urging her to move a little faster. The water wasn't too rough, but it was enough to make the gang plank wobble beneath their feet. Nearly losing her footing, Nami stumbled into Ana. Letting out a shriek, Ana haphazardly dashed onto the deck of the Sunny and grasped the mast.

"Oh sh--" she paused, catching herself, "shoot! Someone was bound to have heard that." Almost as if on cue, there was murmuring from below deck. As Nami reached the deck, Usopp and Franky hurriedly pulled the gang plank away. With a loud, wooden slap, the hatch was pushed open and a lantern light bobbed up closer and closer towards the deck as someone climbed the ladder from below.

"Oi, 'oo's up there? Wot's going on?" came the old grizzled voice of Ana's shipwright, Augustus. His bald head surfaced and he squinted towards the Thousand Sunny. Praying the old man's bad eyesight would be enough for them to still slip away, Ana inched slowly towards Luffy. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered between clenched teeth, "We need to get out of here. NOW."

"Oo's over there?" the old man yelled a little louder, "I'm warnin' ya. I'm armed!" Climbing up on deck, the old man rummaged around in the pocket on the front of his overalls. Pulling out small, crescent-moon shaped spectacles he held up the lantern again towards the Thousand Sunny. "Cap'n? wot chyou doin' over there?" Puzzlement was painted all over his face as Ana gave a painful look. Quickly grabbing Luffy's arm she wrapped it around her neck and screamed.

"August! I'm being kidnapped! Rally the crew!" Ana shrieked, before muttering to Luffy, "Quick, let's go while he wakes them up." August stammered and fumbled with the lantern before saluting and falling backwards into the bowels of the Ethereal with a crash. Snickering Luffy gave Ana a small squeeze before turning to Franky.

"Franky, we need a quick getaway." he said. Franky gave a grin before dashing below deck.

"SUUUUUUPER!"

Minutes later the ship rocketed into the sky and Ana squealed half out of terror and half out of delight. Luffy held tightly to her and to the railing with his other hand. Slowly her cry turned into laughter as the sailed across the night sky and landed back in the water a long way from the Ethereal.

* * *

A week with the Mugiwaras for Ana had passed and she was absolutely fascinated with what she had learned about them. Wanted posters had helped her learn their names and faces already, but interacting with them was a real treat. Mentally, she made notes of everyone's personality traits and what it was they exactly did on the ship. Oft times, she would fall asleep reading the detailed adventure log Nami had made. Then after Brooke's rousing wake-up call, she would stick her nose right back into the log. By now, she had their basic natures memorized.

Luffy was rambunctious and fun-loving, Zoro was serious and reserved (she didn't think he liked her much), Nami was sweet but conniving, Usopp was a compulsive liar but sweet, Chopper was smart but childlike, Robin was quiet and kind, Franky was shameless and inventive and Brooke was a bit clumsy and a bit of a lecher, but he always had good intentions. So many colorful personalities on such a colorful ship.

About halfway through the saga of their adventure on Thriller Bark, the pages seemed to have been neglected without the rest of their adventures written on them. Ana shut the log and placed it back up in Nami's study. She had read enough anyways. Stepping out onto the grassy deck, she stretched her arms over her head and breathed in the combined smells of the ship and the sea. Smiling and sighing contentedly, she crossed the deck and took a seat at the small table next to Robin. Looking up from her book, Robin smiled sweetly and set the book down.

"Hello Skye-san." she said, "Are you finished with the adventure log?" Stretching her legs out in front of her, Ana shook her head and closed her eyes.

"I got to the middle of what happened with Gecko Moria and his crew, but it stopped there." she said lazily. With the sun overhead, she speculated it was about noon. Exhaling contentedly, she soaked up the warmth from the rays of the sun. Loud clanking of dumbbells rattling then disturbed Ana from her short daydream. Wrinkling her nose, she opened her eyes and scanned the deck for the source of the sound. Zoro had a massive barbell balanced on his shoulders as he crouched down as low as possible before hopping a few feet forward.

Pulling on her silver, hoop earring, she watched him curiously. With each movement, his muscles rippled under his skin. His shirtless torso glistened with sweat. Blood quickly rushed to her cheeks as she couldn't help thinking of a stanza of her favorite poem.

_I hunger for your sleek laugh,_

_your hands the color of a savage harvest,_

_hunger for the pale stones of you fingernails,_

_I want to eat your skin like a whole almond._

It was an embarrassing thing to think. She wouldn't deny that he was a very handsome man, but that was a little far. All the while she was scolding herself, Zoro caught sight of her red face and the look of self-disgust he frowned. Something about her bothered him. He couldn't quite put his finger on it though. Was it her bold statement about being stronger than any person? The fact everyone was so impressed with things she did he could easily do himself? The fishiness of her story of her mutinous crew? The incident with Captain Rackham and his claims of betrayal? Whatever it was, it kept nagging at the back of his mind.

"Oi, Blondie," he said gruffly, "You got a problem?" Snapping out of her argument with herself, she cocked a brow. _I must've been staring, _she thought somewhat angrily to herself. Shrugging, she thought of some excuse.

"Sorry, er the sun-- it's kind of bright." Ana said, wrinkling her nose again as she squinted to exaggerate how bright the sun was in her eyes. Zoro obviously wasn't buying it by the look on his face. Picking up the barbell off of his shoulders and setting it on the deck, he wiped some sweat from his brow with the towel that hung around his neck and crossed over to Ana and Robin.

"So--" he started, folding his arms tightly across his muscled chest, "Ana, I'm not really all that convinced you're as strong as you say you are." Mentally giving a sigh of relief, Ana grinned impishly and stood up, looking him in the eye. She really wasn't all that intimidating next to him; or anyone for that matter. Zoro stood at least a head taller than her.

"Oh? Is that so?" she said, in a little bit of an overconfident tone, "Shall we test out my ability against yours then?" By now they had collected the attention of Luffy, Ussop, Chopper and Brooke who were goofing off on the other side of the deck. Even Robin was interested to see what would happen next. Thick tension built up between Ana and Zoro as she stared him down.

"Alright Blondie, what'd you have in mind?" he said with a smirk.

"Arm-wrestling."

"Just that?"

"Just that."

"Fine with me."

"Fine." Ana said as she took Zoro's hand and shook it firmly. Laughing jovially, Luffy bounded over towards them and pumped his fist into the air.

"Alright! Ana and Zoro are gonna have a match!" he shouted as Ana placed a barrel between herself and her green-haired opponent. Sanji stalked out of the kitchen with Nami and gave Zoro the evil-eye.

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you." Sanji growled, "You brutish Marimo-head." Zoro didn't even bother to respond. His eyes and attention were locked on Ana's eyes.

"Alright Roronoa, which is your better hand?" she asked, still smirking wolfishly.

"What about you?" he asked, returning her look. Raising both hands, she wiggled her fingers.

"Either. I'm ambidextrous." Zoro's look intensified as he placed his elbow roughly on the barrel. Copying him, Ana grabbed his hand loosely and chuckled ominously. Now Franky had dropped whatever he was doing and the entire crew circled around them to watch. No one dared speak a word as the felt the intensity of the situation rise.

"Go!" Luffy shouted. In that very second, Zoro flexed his arm and pushed as hard as he could. No movement. Still as a statue, Ana sat there, still grinning almost maliciously. Giving a confused look, he glared and pushed harder.

"Use both hands if you need to." she yawned mockingly. Glowering at her he kept pushing. There was no way he was going to use two hands. Who did she think she was anyways? He couldn't believe how demeaning she was being. Roronoa Zoro would not stoop down so low as to hurt his pride by using a handicap in something as simple as an arm wrestle. The air was so still, people started breaking the silence, cheering for either Ana or Zoro.

"Had enough?" Ana asked boredly. Straining, Zoro grunted and shook his head. Veins bulged over his temples and his arm shook with effort. Still she wouldn't budge. There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes as her arm slammed down on his and she flipped Zoro onto the ground. "Oh Ana-swan! You're so magnificent!" Sanji sang as he danced around. The others cheered and clapped her on the back before helping Zoro up. Brushing himself off, he gave the victor a sour sideways glance.

"Are you convinced now?"

It had been a particularly calm day. Soft breezes and small waves pushed the 1000 Sunny along, slowly but surely. Scattered throughout her, the Mugiwara crew kept themselves busy with all sorts of odd jobs. Franky and Usopp toyed around in the workshop, thinking of new weapons and modifications to make. Sanji was making lunch in the kitchen and attacking Luffy's hand with a wooden mixing spoon every time it came near the mixing bowl.

In the study, Nami was reviewing her maps while Robin read her current novel aloud. Chopper and Brooke sat in revered awe as Zoro did his midday training. Nothing could break their concentration; that is—not until Ana brought up a large trunk and set it down on the far side of the deck. Perking up his little reindeer ears at the new sound, Chopper hopped up and dashed towards her to investigate.

"What do you have here Ana-san?" he asked, running his tiny hoof over the dark mahogany wood. The chest itself was interesting enough. Small, intricate carvings of flowers and birds decorated the front of the lid. Worn and cracked leather straps and dull brass buckles fastened it shut. Across the front a name was inscribed in calligraphic letters. "Skye Edwards" was clear and legible, but the first name was too scratched up and worn down to read.

"Oh, I'm just going through my old disguise chest." She said with a smile, patting the lid with a dull _thunk_.

"Disguise chest?" he wondered aloud, cocking his head to the side, like a little, lost puppy. Unfastening the straps and throwing open the lid, Ana overturned it and emptied out its contents of all sorts of strange treasures onto the grassy deck.

"Just some old disguises I used when it was necessary—or just for fun." She said with a wink. Picking up a short, black wig cut in a bob; she examined it and snapped some of the loose hairs from it. Chopper's eyes widened and his smile brightened just before he dove into the pile and rummaged around for something interesting. Brooke sauntered over and examined the small humanoid reindeer as he surfaced, wearing large, black rimmed glasses with lenses that magnified his eyes ten times their size.

"Yohohohoho!" he cackled buoyantly in delight, "What fun!" Ana whipped around donning a fake afro and a top hat like Brooke's and replicated his laugh almost perfectly.

"What fun indeed!" Brooke's voice said albeit from Ana's mouth. Taken aback, Chopper and Brooke shrieked and jumped away out of sheer shock.

"Yohohohoho!" she laughed again before sputtering and coughing and her laugh returned to its normal sound. "Haha! That never gets old." She said with a giggle.

"H-how did you do that!?" Chopper squeaked in amazement. Pulling off the large, curly wig, Ana caught her breath and shrugged.

"It's just a talent of mine I guess." She said, "Some voices are easy to replicate, but some aren't though. For example—"clearing her throat, she took a deep breath and scrunched her face with effort. "Deep voices like Zoro's don't last too long." Her voice sounded scarily similar to Zoro's at least until she said "voices" and her voice cracked and turned back to its normal octave.

On the opposite side of the deck, Zoro paused at the sound of his own voice and raised a brow. Ana still didn't sit well with him. She had strange ways of thinking, her behavior was shifty and the arm-wrestling episode yesterday didn't help her standing with him either. Images of Rackham's angry shouts at her and her confident smirk played through his mind. Of course, _nobody_ else seemed to mind this at all. She helped keep things tidy, she was entertaining, knowledgeable, pretty, and new and Sanji was _more_ than happy to have another woman on board.

"Dumb ero-cook." He muttered, setting his barbells down. Gluing his eyes on Ana, he glared in scrutiny while she dressed up Chopper in strange apparel. Smiling brightly, she let out a cute, little laugh as Brooke placed a large, curled black moustache on his face, right below where his nose should have been. Zoro snorted and shook his head before gulping down water from his water-bottle.

"Hey handsome, still pouting?" Ana asked, noticing his obviously, disapproving frown towards her. Gradually his frown turned into a full on scowl as she approached him, wearing an impish grin. Setting down his water-bottle, he shook his head again.

"No, I'm not pouting," he nearly snapped, "besides, losing an arm wrestle is nothing to cry over." Rolling her sea-green eyes, she shook her head as well, They were both obviously annoyed. Whenever they spoke to each other, or about each other; the atmosphere around them was always tense and full of sparks. Secretly, they were poised and ready to fight one another at any given moment.

"You're most correct sir, but that's not what I was talking about." She said, examining her cuticles nonchalantly, "Ever since I came aboard, you've looked pretty miffed about it." Looking up at the swordsman, she gave him a critical stare. Both of them knew that she had hit the nail right on the head. Really, it wasn't much of a surprise to her anyways. When she joined up with Luffy's crew, she expected controversy.

"Funny you noticed," he said through a sarcastic grin, "In all honesty, I wish Luffy wasn't as trusting as he is and that he had left you with your supposedly mutinous crew." Ana scowled and cocked her head to the side in an annoyed fashion, like a teenager with an attitude problem.

"Oh? Is that so Roronoa?" she asked icily, "Then why don't you ask him to drop me off at the next island we land on, hm? It'd be better than having to deal with a boorish and petty man such as you." Chopper's eyes darted back and forth between his two nakama nervously, unsure of what to do. Brooke slowly back away from the situation and bolted downstairs to the ship's hold to hide. Zoro began fuming and Ana's eyes were narrowed into a death-threatening glare.

"Well fine! Then I wouldn't have to be stuck with a snobby, overbearing, high-and-mighty skank like you!" he shouted. Ana gave him a startled look that quickly turned into a look of pure fury. Clenching her fists, she ground her teeth and growled.

"A skank? A SKANK?!" she shrieked like a banshee, "How dare you, you close-minded, obstinate, stubborn—" Her voice began to rise in pitch and volume and her face turned a tomato red. More and more wordy insults streamed endlessly from her mouth like an unstoppable tidal wave.

"ENOUGH!" Chopper cried, nearly tripling in size, transforming into his Heavy Point, "Can't we solve this peacefully?" He almost begged, returning to his normal, adorable size. Almost in complete synchronization, Zoro and Ana, whipped their heads in Chopper's direction. Breathing in deeply and regaining composure, Ana's mouth returned to its normal smile and she nodded hesitantly.

"Yes—yes Chopper, sorry. I wasn't quite thinking clearly." She said, chewing on her lip in embarrassment.

"Sorry Chopper? Sorry Chopper!?" Zoro exclaimed in disbelief, "I was the one who got the verbal lashing!" Ana gave the swordsman one last glare and stalked off. Chopper shook his head and look up at Zoro, not sure quite what to think.

"What?" Zoro asked, noting Chopper's expression. Simply sighing, Chopper turned around and headed after Ana. "What?! I—She—" Growling in frustration, Zoro threw his hands up in defeat. _I'll get back at her somehow._


	3. Chapter 3

After a week of absolute tension between Zoro and Ana, everyone else began to notice their—for lack of a better word—discomfort with each other. Dinner usually started buoyantly as they used to until they were both in the room. Then it just turned into awkward silences with the occasional complaint from Luffy as people swatted his hands away from their food. It was driving everyone insane. Everyone knew that something had to be done about those two, and fast. Usopp poked his head up into the trapdoor of the crow's nest to be sure Zoro would still be there for a while. From the looks of things, he was only halfway through the training session. Scrambling back down the ladder, he dashed into the dining hall where everyone else was gathered.

"Zoro's not even close to being finished." He reported, "What about Ana-chan? What's she doing?" There was almost a collective sigh of relief.

"Ana's taking a nap in the women's quarters right now." Nami said, "She'll be out cold for a while." No one was quite sure what Nami meant by that. Either their new crewmate was just exhausted, drugged or knocked out somehow. Brushing it off quickly, everyone huddled closely to discuss their game plan. Luffy looked over everyone's faces before beginning.

"Okay, it's agreed that we all like Zoro and Ana, but they don't like each other." He said, "What do we do to fix this?" Sanji chuckled menacingly.

"I say we push the Marimo overboard and let Ana stay." He said with a malicious grin. Usopp shoved the chef's shoulder disgustedly and scoffed. Although Sanji and the swordsman had a history of contention, that was pushing it a little far.

"We can't do that; Zoro's been with the crew longer than any of us have." Usopp said, "Besides, he's also one of our strongest. I really don't trust Ana that much to kick Zoro out." There were solemn nods of agreement from most everyone. Usopp's face brightened suddenly, then his expression fell to one of despair. It was a good idea. Well it would have been a good idea if Zoro and Ana weren't inhumanly strong.

"What's wrong long nose-kun?" Robin asked, "Did you have an idea?" Everyone's attention snapped to the marksman and he sighed.

"Well I was just reminded of when Zoro and I were handcuffed together at Enies Lobby." He began, "We had to learn to cooperate with each other pretty quickly in order to even get places. I only wish we had sea stone cuffs like those. Normal ones definitely wouldn't hold them." Pulling off his goggles and bandana with a sigh of frustration, he ran a hand through his unruly hair and scratched his head, thinking hard for another solution. Nami smirked knowingly and chuckled softly.

"Well good thing I swiped a pair when we were there." She said. Shouts of surprise filled the cabin before Nami shushed them hurriedly. Everyone was dead silent for a moment. The clanking of weights had stopped. Up in the crow's nest, Zoro had heard the exclamation and paused. It had been so unusually quiet moments earlier and their shouts had startled him, but not nearly as much as the silence that had followed shortly afterwards. His nakama were up to something. The suspicious nature of their actions this afternoon was unsettling. Shrugging it off, he went back to his task. As the clanking resumed, there was a collective sigh of relief.

"You really are a master thief Nami-swan!" Sanji proclaimed with a goofy grin, "Only you could pull off something like that." Nami waved a dismissive hand in mock-modesty.

"Oh it was nothing. Just doing my part." She giggled as Sanji danced around her, being the love-drunk fool he was. "Well, I think Robin should be able to get the cuffs on the both of them later tonight at dinner in a fairly unnoticeable manner. Let's just hope this works."

The suppressed giggles and smiles that Luffy, Chopper and Usopp tried to hide on their way to dinner could've blown the whole operation if nobody else had kept their cool. It was simply a big joke to those three, whereas everyone else realized that if Zoro and Ana couldn't live together without some shred of decency towards each other, life was going to get rough. Each of the Mugiwara filed into the mess hall, sure to make sure Zoro and Ana were the last ones in.

"Ladies first." Brooke said, opening the door and bowing low as Nami and Robin entered. Ana lingered on the far side of the deck and yawned, slowly making her way over to the cluster of people, seemingly anxious to eat. Zoro hung towards the end of the line and gave Ana a sideways sneer to Ana as she approached. Returning his expression with a sarcastic smile of distaste, she bowed low like Brooke had earlier in a fancy, sweeping motion.

"Ladies first." She sneered. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the collar of her jacket and pulled it roughly over her head and entered. Everyone had themselves situated and had already started eating. Zoro groaned inwardly, realizing the only open seats were right next to each other. Plopping down in one of the open seats, he slapped one arm over the other and folded his arms, wearing a rather disgruntled expression. Ana's reaction was very much the same inwardly. Sitting next to the swordsman, she started scooting her chair towards Franky's on her left. Seeing this, Franky practically shoved her over as he scooted his own chair in her direction. Then quickly he turned his back towards her and leaned his right arm heavily on the table.

"Excuse me?" Ana said in a shocked tone, sounding a little offended. Franky looked over his shoulder casually.

"Oops." He said, "Sorry girlie, didn't see you sitting there." He didn't even bother moving at all despite his half-hearted apology. Ana gave him a wary sideways glance before picking up her fork. Zoro gave a disgusted scoff as her elbow bumped his. Scooting away from her, Sanji quickly made a move he was sure to regret. Yawning and stretching his arms over his head, he let his arm rest on Zoro's shoulder and he grinned broadly at the shocked swordsman.

"Hey buddy, ol' pal." Sanji said a little too cheerily. Looking like he had just seen Crocodile prancing around in a Swedish milkmaid dress, Zoro scooted his chair as far away from Sanji as he possibly could. Robin gave Nami a sideways glance from her water glass as she prepared the handcuffs under the table. Zoro rested his left forearm on the table and picked up his own fork and shoveled in a mouthful and a half of sea-food pasta. Ana gave Zoro an open look of disgust as she set her own fork down gingerly. Without any warning, a pair of Robin's hands shot out of the table and grasped Ana's wrist in one hand and Zoro's in the other. Then lightning fast, another pair slapped on the handcuffs just before the two tried to wrench their hands free.

"What the?!" they exclaimed in unison. Luffy let out a spray of half chewed food across the table before bursting into laughter. Those who hadn't been in the line of fire joined in the uproarious gesture as Zoro and Ana tried pulling free.

"Sea stone?!" Ana screeched in a panic, "You have got to be kidding me!" Zoro threw his hands up in the air in frustration, yanking the poor five foot, one woman at least a foot off of the ground, smashing her small frame into his body. Shrieking in pain, she smacked him in the back of the head with her free hand.

"Put me down you great lummox! That really hurts!" she scolded. Rubbing the back of his head, he set his hand down along with Ana.

"Alright guys, what gives?" he snapped, "This isn't funny." Nami twirled the key to the cuffs around her finger and clutched it before grinning maliciously like a Cheshire cat.

"It's _hilarious._" she said, "The best part about this is, I won't give you guys the key until you two learn to get along." Zoro leaped across the table to snatch the key right out of Nami's hand, but was halted when Ana's stomach slammed into the table, knocking her to the ground, taking him with her which nearly ripped their arms out of their sockets. Groaning and rubbing his wrist, Ana moaned and wheezed trying to catch her breath. Craning her head against the floor, she glared venomously at Zoro. The rest of the crew was on the floor along with them, rolling and clutching their sides as they laughed themselves sick.

"I'm going to kill you." Ana hissed.


End file.
